Ever read something that so truly resonates with your soul? Something that clearly explains all the obstacles you had at work? Something clearly defining and segmenting out those people that waste your time? I did. This past weekend, I caught up with some reading that I've been putting off lately.
One of my free ebooks I received when I bought Seth Godin's Linchpin (my favorite book of 2010) was a short ebook titled: "Insubordinate". Go get Linchpin today.
In it, Seth hits upon a powerful line of thinking on how to segment WHO you work with every day. I don't like to 'over-quote' on my blog — but Seth clearly hits a home run with his writing and I know I would do it a disservice if I paraphrased.
1. Linchpins
"The people who make a difference, the ones who ship, the rare ones who truly have an impact. This group of people, in that moment of time, changes everything."
2. Supporters
"Eager and willing to help. They respect and admire the work the linchpin is doing, and they’re ready to supply leverage or money or just a smile to help get the job done. Even better, they challenge the linchpin to do more, dig deeper, and make an even bigger difference."
3. Leeches, Advocates for the Devil, and Bystanders
"These are the pessimists, the obstructionists, and the protectors of the status quo. Driven largely by fear, they set out to slow you down, whittle you down, and average you down."
"People don’t end up in this group because they choose to be there; they end up there because the lizard brain is so freaked out and the resistance is so loud that they really don’t have any choice."
"What I do is mentally affix a red “L” (for leech) to their forehead and then, for as long as I can, avoid them. Like potholes in an otherwise smooth road, it’s just easier to drive around them."
"At the same time, I feel sorry for them. They are in this group because of fear, not by choice. They wrestle every day with overwhelming feelings of impending doom. It’s not a permanent condition, but I’m not sure it’s your job to heal them."
Powerful. So here are today's question(s):
How often do you put up with the Leeches . . . how often do they step in your way, stop you, warn you, and scare you (with their fears)?
What are you going to do about it?